Page 64 of The Third Baseman

“What are the other ones?”

“They’re the soccer pitches, and that one is lacrosse.”

We carried on past the fields.

“Nearly there.” I practically dragged her through the final stretch, so desperate was I to be alone with her, because as big as this campus was, it was virtually impossible to find a quiet space. Then there it was. “Here we go.”

She spun, then spun again. “How did I not see this from the path?”

Thiswas a raised platform, about eight feet by eight feet, that I’d stumbled on one day when retrieving a ball that had gone wide at practice. It was completely hidden by a large oak tree, but when you stood on it, you had a perfect, uninterrupted view of the baseball field – the big one.

That had been two years ago.

“I dunno, but you can’t. I’ve tested it,” I replied, and then wish I hadn’t.

Her shoulders dropped, not a lot, but enough for me to notice, especially when her smile dropped too.

Because as much as I liked that I was her first everything, she wasn’t mine. I couldn’t erase that fact, but I could try and make it a little better.

“Star, come here.” I crooked a finger and she made her way slowly to me, until the tips of our sneakers were almost touching. “I want to kiss you properly.”

Like I’d flicked a switch, her smile returned and I took it prisoner with my own. I could kiss this girl forever.

“Jupiter?”

“Yes?”

She didn’t say anything immediately, just looked down at her feet. But then I heard, “Are you ever going to do any more than kiss me? You know, now you’re officially my boyfriend?”

I swallowed thickly as I absorbed her words and tried to calm the adrenaline that had shot up and was racing through my veins. “Do you want to do more?”

Her gaze hit me square; the ruby glow had reappeared on her cheeks, making her eyes even greener. She didn’t say anything, but nodded slowly.

I had a sudden panic that perhaps being here was making her feel like I wanted more from her than she was ready to give, which simply wasn’t true. For the first time in my life I felt like I was moving at a pace I was happy with, because whatever waited for me at the end would be totally worth it once I got there.

And I wanted to savor it.

“Marn, I don’t want to rush you. You don’t have to do anything because of me. Whatever we do is because you’re ready, and for no other reason.”

“I’m ready, Jupiter.” She smiled a smile that jump started my heart. “I promise.”

“Okay… okay.” I rubbed my hands together. Fuck. She might have been ready, but I was not prepared for this. “Okay.”

I reached behind me and pulled my sweater off, laying it down on the ground as a makeshift blanket. Then I stood tall, and kissed her once more.

“Okay,” I said for the thousandth time, suddenly overcome with nerves, while she looked as cool as Kobe stealing the win in the final seconds of the Lakers game last night. “Sit here with me.”

I dropped to the ground, and held my hand out to guide her into my lap.

“Shouldn’t I lie down?”

It took me a second to realize her meaning. “Marn, we’re not going to have sex.”

Her eyes shot open. “We’re not?”

“Not up here we aren’t. Not for the first time anyway. When we have sex, it’ll be in a bed.”

The fact that I felt every muscle in her body relax was enough for me to know I’d made the right decision, not to mention I wasn’t ready either. I’d never had sex with a virgin before, and I needed to have my head in the game to make it as perfect for her as I could.

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